Can your organization afford to let employees NOT be successful in OSA treatment? JR

The driver of a bus that crashed, killing two people, on Interstate 90 a few miles near Oakland in 2009 had fallen asleep at the wheel, according to the Suk Law Firm.

Seventeen of the 22 passengers of the Nov. 18, 2009, crash reached a settlement of $3.25 million Wednesday afternoon.

The civil cases filed against the bus company, Bold Lines Inc., which does business as Strain Tours in Rochester, had been slated for a pretrial hearing in Freeborn County District Court on Oct. 27. The bus company’s insurance agency will pay the settlement.

Firefighters and rescue crews worked to remove bus riders from an overturned bus just west of Austin in November of 2009. A settlement of $3.25 million was reached Wednesday. — Herald file photo

Jim Suk, lead attorney for the claimants, said the victims feel vindicated by the settlement.

“The clients are very relieved that at least the bus company’s insurance company stepped up to the plate and realized there was a wrong done here,” Suk said. “They were disappointed law enforcement didn’t investigate further before concluding this was a medical emergency.”

The eastbound bus, full of mostly senior citizens, was headed to Rochester, returning from Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa, when it veered into the median, avoided oncoming traffic of the westbound lanes and landed on its side in the north ditch. It happened at milepost 172 of I-90. Along with the two fatalities, 21 people were injured in the crash.

3 comments:

It's sad to hear such tragedy. Anyway, many who regularly snore don't realize that it could be bad for their health. The research linking hypertension, cardiac problems and loud snoring is relatively new.